Major international bridge tournaments

6-8minutes
Beginner→Intermediate
Tournament concepts (pairs/teams), Bridge calendar, Open/Women/Mixed/Seniors vocabulary

Summary

Bridge is also played at the highest level, with an international calendar full of events: World and European Championships (WBF/EBL), youth competitions, major American events (NABCs), European festivals and transnational tournaments. This page provides essential information to follow these events, understand their categories (Open, Women, Mixed, Seniors, Youth), and discover how online bridge (including Funbridge) also allows you to participate in large-scale tournaments.

Educational objective

  • Identify major international competitions (European, World, NABCs)
  • Understand the main categories (Open, Women, Mixed, Seniors, Youth)
  • Distinguish between formats (teams, pairs, KO, Swiss)
  • Identify major festivals and transnational tournaments

Vocabulary and conventions used

  • WBF = World Bridge Federation
  • EBL = European Bridge League
  • Bermuda Bowl / Venice Cup / Wuhan Cup / d'Orsi Senior Bowl = world teams events
  • NABCs = North American Bridge Championships (3 times/year)
  • KO = knockout • Swiss = Swiss teams rounds
  • Transnational = pairs/teams of different nationalities
  • U16 / U21 / U26 / U31 = youth categories

Tip : summer = major competitions, winter = festivals and events (often more "accessible").

Bridge on a global scale

When we think of bridge, we often think of club tournaments or games between friends. But bridge is also a competitive sport with its own championships, stars and international calendar. Even if you don't have the ambition to play at this level, following these major bridge tournaments allows you to better understand the dynamics of the game, experience the excitement alongside champions from all over the world and support your national teams.

European and World bridge championships

The pinnacle of world bridge consists of the championships organised by the World Bridge Federation (WBF) and the European Bridge League (EBL). Every two years (in August), the WBF organises the World Bridge Championships, with their teams events, played in a round-robin format followed by KO rounds:

  • The Bermuda Bowl (Open teams – open to all)
  • The Venice Cup (Women's teams – 100% female teams)
  • The Wuhan Cup (Mixed teams – one man and one woman in each pair)
  • The d'Orsi Senior Bowl (Seniors teams – 60 years and older)

Alongside these teams tournaments, there are also World Pairs Championships (often in summer) and transnational Swiss tournaments open to all bridge enthusiasts.

The European Bridge Championships, held every two years in June or July, bring together the best European nations in the same categories: Open, Women, Mixed and Seniors. They also serve as qualifiers for the World Championships.

The World Bridge Games (WBG) are held every four years (in the post-Olympic year, usually at the end of the year) and gather national teams in all categories.

The most prestigious are the championships organised by the World Bridge Federation (WBF) and the European Bridge League (EBL). These include the Bermuda Bowl (Open teams), the Venice Cup (Women's teams), the Wuhan Cup (Mixed teams) and the d'Orsi Senior Bowl (Seniors teams). These tournaments are held every two years, alternating with the European Bridge Championships.
Most major international bridge championships are played in teams, with a round-robin phase followed by KO matches. There are also pairs competitions, as well as Swiss tournaments at festivals and transnational competitions.
The European Championships are held in June/July every two years, while the World Bridge Championships are held in August, also every two years. The World Bridge Games (WBG) are held every four years, usually in September or October.

For young players too

International bridge also has a special place for the new generation.

The European Youth Championships (every two years in July) include five team categories:

  • U16 (under 16 years)
  • U21 (under 21 years)
  • U26 Open (under 26 years, the main category)
  • U26 Girls (women's teams)
  • U31 (a category recently created to extend the experience before the Open)

Alternately, the WBF organises the World Youth Bridge Championships (August) with the same age-based categories and also pairs events.

Finally, students can participate in the FISU World University Championship Mind Sports (every two years in September), where bridge is played alongside chess and Go.

Yes, bridge places great emphasis on young players. The youth categories range from U16s (under 16 years) to U31s (under 31 years). The European and World Youth Championships are held alternately every summer. There are also university tournaments such as the FISU World University Championship Mind Sports.

Other European competitions...

Some events feature private teams. The Champions Cup organised every year in November by the EBL since 2002, brings together the European national bridge champions. It is the equivalent of the Champions League in football. Since 2023, there has also been a women's version.

Another prestigious event is the Winter Games (February, even years), which combine elite competition with a friendly atmosphere. Open to all, these bridge tournaments attract the best players every year thanks to substantial financial prizes. In 2026, the event will be repeated with a new feature: two separate events, the Open and the Mixed Teams.

Finally, the transnational bridge tournaments (such as those held in Strasbourg in June 2023 and in Poznań in August 2024) allow players of different nationalities to team up freely. This is a very popular format, often played in Swiss teams, which appeals to both ambitious amateurs and professionals.

The Champions Cup, organised by the EBL since 2002, brings together the European national champions every November. It works like a "Champions League of bridge". Since 2023, there has also been a women's version.
Yes, some bridge tournaments allow players of different nationalities to team up freely. This was the case, for example, with Strasbourg 2023 and Poznań 2024. They are often played in Swiss teams.

NABCs

Across the Atlantic, the North American Bridge Championships (NABCs) are a must-attend event. Three times a year (March, July and November), these big bridge festivals bring together several thousand players in the United States and Canada.

The flagship teams events are:

  • The Vanderbilt (in spring, round-robin stage followed by KO format)
  • The Spingold (in summer, KO format)
  • The Reisinger (in autumn, Board-a-Match teams)

Each NABC also includes numerous tournaments open to all: pairs, Swiss, KO, making it an event for both champions and amateurs.

The North American Bridge Championships (NABCs) are held three times a year (March, July and November) and attract several thousand players. The flagship events are the Vanderbilt, the Spingold and the Reisinger, all played in teams in different formats (KO, Swiss, Board-a-Match).

And what about bridge festivals?

Alongside official competitions, numerous bridge festivals offer a more convivial setting, often in attractive locations.

In Europe:

  • The Contra Cup (Romania, May)
  • The Vilnius Cup (Lithuania, June)
  • The Biarritz Festival (France, July)
  • The Pula Festival (Croatia, August)
  • The Ostend Festival (Belgium, August)

In the North:

  • The Reykjavík Rapyd Festival (Iceland, January)
  • The Oslo Cup (Norway, September)

On other continents, we can mention the Australian National Championships (July), the São Paulo International Bridge Festival (March) or the Asia Pacific Bridge Federation Championship (every two years in June).

The best-known bridge festivals are the Contra Cup (Romania, May), the Vilnius Cup (Lithuania, June), the Biarritz Festival (France, July), the Pula Festival (Croatia, August) and the Ostend Festival (Belgium, August). These are complemented by other international tournaments such as the Reykjavík Rapyd Festival (Iceland) and the Oslo Cup (Norway).

Online bridge tournaments

The international bridge calendar is not limited to physical tables. Over the past few years, online bridge tournaments have become increasingly important, enabling thousands of players to take part without geographical constraints.

Among the platforms, Funbridge has established itself as an international benchmark. Every month, tens of thousands of players take part in a variety of tournaments:

  • Federation tournaments (FFB, NBF, ACBL, etc.) counting towards the official rankings
  • Daily tournaments and special events open to all

Its hybrid system, with deals played at your own pace thanks to high-performance artificial intelligence, allows bridge enthusiasts to stay connected to the international circuit while making progress.

The calendar is available on the official websites of the WBF, the EBL and the national federations.
Online bridge tournaments are accessible through various platforms. Funbridge allows you to play daily, federation or team tournaments, with great accessibility and a flexible schedule. The WBF and the EBL also organise official online championships via RealBridge, with the four adult categories and the youth categories.
Funbridge is now one of the most popular platforms for training and taking part in official tournaments. It is accessible to all levels, from beginners to advanced players, and allows you to play at any time thanks to artificial intelligence.
Open Funbridge

In a nutshell

From the prestigious Bermuda Bowl to the summer festivals in Pula and Biarritz, the international calendar of bridge tournaments is rich and varied. Whether you are just a spectator or a passionate player, following these competitions allows you to immerse yourself in the culture of bridge and thrill to the exploits of the champions.

Resources

Official and transnational championships

International festivals

Other major international competitions